Best PLC Training Courses & Certifications of 2020

Our education experts have created this curated list of the 8 best online PLC programming courses & training currently available.

This list is comprised of both free and paid online training to enrich your skills and land yourself a job in Industrial Automation. To kickstart your career and learn PLC programming, you can pick the right course in the below list of PLC online certification courses.

Without further ado, here is our list of the best PLC Proramming Training on the web:

Best PLC Programming Training Courses and Certifications

1. PLC Programming From Scratch (PLC I)

This course by Paul Lynn, is one of the bestsellers on Udemy. Paul is one of the best PLC programming instructors and has experience in industrial automation and mechanical design.

He has been training PLC for a number of years. The course is well organized, and the instructor is very clear and knowledgeable.

In this introductory PLC course, Paul exposes you to the basics of Programmable Logic Controllers and how to approach a project professionally. He shows you how to use the Rockwell simulator software and FactoryTalk View Studio for PLC programming.

He also gives real-time examples and exercises which helps you get familiar with these concepts. Paul is very responsive and responds to any queries posed.

This course covers concepts like general controls, digital and analog IO, ladder logic programming, alarm/notification handling, HMI, emulation and best practices. By the end of this course, you will be able to create and run your own live program. You will also learn to troubleshoot and use best practices in PLC programming.

Around 31,810 students enrolled for this course alone, which has a rating of 4.6 out of 5. The course contains 99 lectures and spans over a time of 21 hours and 19 minutes. This course comes highly recommended for beginners who have no prior experience.

Who Should Take This Course?

If you are a beginner who wants to become functional with ladder logic basics, this course is a perfect fit for you. A great introductory course to get started with PLC from scratch, as it offers a strong foundation in the basics of PLC programming.

Course Highlights

Prior plc software or hardware experience is not required.

You will learn to create your own PLC program from scratch.

2. Learning PLC Ladder Logic

Zahraa Khalil is one of the best tutors on LinkedIn Learning. She is an excellent instructor who has a Bachelors in Automation Engineering and a Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering. She is a passionate educator who offers instructive educational programs and an expert in STEM education.

Around 11,875 students have participated in this course which takes 2 hours and 4 minutes.

The course covers the basics of PLC ladder logic programming. It is well organized and Zahraa explains each concept in a simple and clear manner. In this course, you will be introduced to fundamental concepts like rung operation, timer and counter instruction.

Zharaa also shows the types of input and output instructions used in ladder logic programming. You will learn to add multiple inputs and use latch/unlatch concepts. By the end of this course, you will be able to program in Programmable Logic Controller and be an expert in the basics of PLC and ladder logic.

At the end of the module, the instructor explains a detailed case study on a Plywood sheet process which combines everything you learned in the course. This course will be beneficial for you in order to understand the fundamentals of PLC programming and move your way to more advanced concepts in industrial automation.

Who Should Take This Course?

This course is suitable for beginners who are familiar with the terms used within industrial automation.

If you are a beginner who wants to start your career in industrial automation this course is an ideal choice for you to learn and get familiarized with a PLC program and its basic concepts.

Course Highlights

Clear explanation with real world case studies

Certificate of completion

3. Learn 5 PLCs in a Day-AB, Siemens, Schneider, Omron & Delta

Rajvir Singh is one of the best instructors on Udemy. This course comes highly recommended and has around 10,498 students with a rating of 4.4 out of 5. Rajvir is a Mechatronic Engineer and has experience in automation like PLC, PID, HMI and Drives – VFD and Servo, Connect I/O, Home I/O and Factory Automation. He is an enthusiast who wants to implement innovative 3D-Learning methods to make learning easier and fun.

This PLC training course is comprised of 256 lectures spanning over a time of 32 hours and 15 minutes. Rajvir starts the course with the fundamentals of PLCs and how PLC programming works. The course also covers ladder logic programming.

You will also learn about PLC wiring concepts and troubleshooting techniques. This is an amazing course which is very clear and has a comprehensive approach. By the end of this course, you will understand the types of PLCs and learn to Wire, Design, and Program a PLC. You will also learn to program the PLC for your Project Work, Industrial Application, Home Automation, and Factory Automation Projects.

Who Should Take This Course?

This course is highly recommended for you if you are a beginner wanting to start your career in industrial automation. In case you are already in the electric field and looking to become an expert in PLC programs, this course is an ideal choice in order for you to solidify your fundamentals in PLC programming.

Course Highlights

Very informative course where you will learn to make these circuits on your own

Explanations on components and circuits are easy to follow

4. From Wire to PLC, A Bootcamp In Industrial Automation

Another bestseller from Udemy by Mouhammad Hamsho, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5. He is an Electrical and Electronics Engineer who loves programming and system integration. Mouhammad has experience in Schneider, ABB, Siemens, Delta, and AllenBradley programming platforms. He is a great instructor who explains everything in detail using real-life scenarios.

In this PLC tutorial, the instructor starts by explaining the basics of electrical concepts and how electrical components operate. He also covers PLC programming with a Ladder diagram and structured text. It is a comprehensive course which covers a lot of concepts to build fully functional Electrical Automation Projects.

In this PLC training you will also learn to program PLC in functional blocks and continuous flow chart. He also covers the Human User Interface design and Animation as well as Web/Phone based visualization.

The course simplifies programming explanation and offers clear instructions which are easy to follow. By the end of each section, practical exercises are assigned to you, to ensure you get familiarised with each concept. The course includes 171 lectures spanning over a time of 16 hours and 17 minutes.

Who Should Take This Course?

This course is for absolute beginners who are looking to carve their path as an electrical or mechanical engineer. If you are a beginner who wants to learn PLC programming, this course is a perfect choice for you. It is highly recommended for people who are interested in learning the workings of industry automation.

Course Highlights

Challenging exercises at the end of each module

You will learn to design your projects from scratch

You will work on two real-world compilation projects

Prior knowledge of programming is not needed

This PLC class is updated on a regular basis with new content

5. Practical PLC Programming (PLC II)

Paul Lynn has structured PLC II which is another bestseller on Udemy. Around 14,588 students have enrolled for this course and it has the highest rating of 4.7 out of 5.

In this course Paul shows how to use the Rockwell software RSLinx. As such you will learn to apply originating complex ladder logic applications. Apart from that, you will also be able to translate a description of a process into a functioning logical solution. Paul gives various assignments and teaches you to program each one from scratch.

This is an excellent course for practicing PLC programming. It helps in developing knowledge on how to do PLC programming in RSLogix. This course covers new commands and practical exercises to understand the application of PLCs and sensors.

The course is comprised of 62 lectures which span over 8 hours. By the end of this course, you will learn to think logically and program on your own.

Who Should Take This Course

This course is for intermediates, who are familiar with PLC programming. If you are a beginner who is familiar with the basics in PLC and want to move into more advanced concepts, this course is a perfect fit for you. This PLC class will help you get started into more concepts in PLC to have strong intermediate skill. It is required that you complete the PLC I course by Paul Lynn for clearer understanding of what is taught here.

Course Highlights

PLC certification on course completion

Clear and concise explanation with real world solutions

Complete practical course

You will be able to code from scratch

6. Process Visualization with HMI / SCADA (PLC III)

One of the exemplary PLC courses on Udemy taught by Paul Lynn. In this online PLC course you will learn to develop your live interfaces for a running system with HMI / SCADA.

Instructor Paul begins with an overview of what several HMI software packages like Wonderware and EasyBuilder 5000 can do. He also explains the different types of HMI’s available and their functions. Furthermore, you will also learn to apply different approaches to improve your HMI or SCADA in the real world.

Around 10,235 students have enrolled for this course and it has a high rating of 4.6 out of 5. The course includes 150 lectures taught over a time of 16 hours and 51 minutes. On completion of this course, you will have a clear understanding of HMI/SCADA and will be able to program visualization projects in three different development studios.

Who Should Take This Course?

This is highly recommended for anyone interested in becoming a PLC programmer. If you are interested in a career in the automation field as a HMI/SCADA Design Engineer, this course is a perfect fit for you to get started. Before enrolling in this course, make sure you are familiar with RSLogix 500, RSLinx and RSLogix 500 Emulate.

Course Highlights

You will build a complete graphical interface to monitor the process, visualize alarms and store data in SQL database

You will be able to work on InduSoft, EasyBuilder 5000 and AdvancedHMI

7. PLC Programming – Training from Scratch on RSLogix500 & 5000

Vladimir Romanov is an electrical engineer who is one of the expert instructors on Udemy. He loves building circuits, robots, audio/video gadgets, and automated equipment. He has 5+ years of experience and has a passion for teaching. He also has lots of experience in programming Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) and Robotics.

This is an excellent tutorial for PLC programming and HMI. In this course, Vladimir explains the basic understanding of RSlogix 500 and 5000. It is a comprehensive course which includes the history of PLC and why PLC is used.

The instructor is very knowledgeable and explains each concept in a simple manner. In this course, you will learn to create basic ladder logic programs and troubleshoot complex existing ones. Besides that, you will also learn to build simple human machine interface screens and get a clear understanding of manufacturing systems.

The course content includes 91 lectures which spans over 14 hours and 27 minutes. In this course, Vladimir will walk you through the basics of PLC and move to more advanced concepts like programming Allen Bradley systems. By the end of this course, you will be knowledgeable in PLC and its workings and will have the skills to pass a technical PLC interview.

Who Should Take This Course?

If you are a beginner wanting to become an electrical engineer or technician, this course is a perfect fit for you to start from scratch.

The course is also an ideal choice for manufacturing operators and software engineers who want to handle hardware. The right course to brush up the basics and essential concepts in PLC to sharpen your PLC skills.

Before enrolling in this course, it is required that you have some basic hardware and mathematics skills to get a better understanding of the concepts.

Course Highlights

Clear explanation with real life practices and examples

Easily understandable

8. Advanced Programming Paradigms (PLC IV)

Another bestseller taught by Paul Lynn. In this course, Paul has an ideal course structure which is well organized and informative. This course is comprised of 117 lectures spanning over a time of 16 hours and 22 minutes with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5.

The course is well designed and informative and you will learn interesting concepts in PLC programming languages like structured text and function blocks. Paul also shows how to use different software and technologies like CoDeSys. Additional to that you will also learn about all paradigms and to use RxLogix5000.

The instructor also explains the basics of Programmable Logic Controller and dives deeper into other methods beside Ladder diagrams and IEC standards.

In the course you will also learn to work in an Allen-Bradley connected component workbench. The course includes fault finding, real live programming and emulation, which is helpful in practical projects. By the end of this PLC class, you will be an expert in all five IEC programming paradigms.

Who Should Take This Course?

This course is for intermediates who are familiar with PLC programming. If you know the basics of PLC and looking to enhance your skill, this course is the right choice for you. The course is not for beginners and it is required that you have completed the “PLC Programming from Scratch (PLC I)” course taught by Paul Lynn.

Course Highlights

You will learn all Five IEC programming paradigms

You will be able to program in multiple environments

You will also be knowledgeable in ABB’s Automation Builder

Why You Should Learn PLC Programming

PLC’s are everywhere. No matter what domain it is, Programmable Logic Controllers make sure that everything runs perfectly and faster. It is the essential key factor in the industry and world development sectors. There is no doubt of the importance of PLC nowadays, but the question still remains, “Why learn PLC programming?”

Learning PLC programming is definitely an asset. With technicians needed in all sorts of domains, being knowledgeable in PLC gives you tons of work opportunities. The demand for production and maintenance engineers, electrical and electronics engineers, control engineers and industrial engineers is soaring. Therefore, training yourself in PLC exposes you to a lot of opportunities.

With the right course and effort, you can get a job of your desire. Read along our list for the best online PLC training offered by top experts who come highly recommended.

Conclusion

With automation soaring in most domains, the role of PLC engineers has become quite important. Getting to know the essentials of PLC technology will enrich your skills and help in your career advancement.

Learn PLC programming and enhance your skills to land a better career. There are abundant opportunities in the PLC field. Undergoing the necessary online PLC classes will provide you with the right path for these opportunities. With our curated review list of PLC online courses, we hope you find the right course to improve your PLC training online and carve your career in PLC programming.